Excellent post! I've been wanting to ask you about something and this post seems pretty relevent to a question I had for you....A couple Sundays ago we had a "Minute for Mission" along with a leaflet in our bulletin (this is PC[USA], by the way) for the "One Spirit, One Will, Zero Poverty" campaign. Are you familiar with this? (See bread.org if not.) I was rather surprised to be urged in church to start writing letters to my congressmen pleading for for them to increase federal spending by 1% of the entire federal budget to help fight poverty (sending the money to the UN, of course). That was a first for me. I'd love to hear your input on this and if it's an issue in the ELCA as well (I imagine it is).
I haven't seen this in any of my churches, but I know Bread for the World carries a lot of clout in the ELCA. And I have not yet heard such a challenge from the pulpit! We're getting really blatent about doing our charity through government. We should let our pastors know that they have poor understandings of economics. Basic economics, even. And what does zero poverty mean? Where has this ever existed? Why do we think it will now? For people who should be fluent in history, pastors have no sense of the past.
Perhaps I should've been more specific earlier...the "Minute for Mission" was delivered at the beginning of the service by a member, not the pastor (although he certainly allowed it). Should this make it any less upsetting for me?
Yeah, a little, but I still think this isn't the Church's mission to eradicate poverty. Help the poor yes, but not through government. I think it's rather arrogant to assume government should listen to us when we demand they do our work for us. Ultimately, all the ideals in the world are unhelpful if the beginning premises are wrong. Thomas Aquinas said something like the following, "An error in the beginning is an error indeed." If the premise is that we can eliminate poverty, then we have an errant premise, a communistic one really. So I expect there to be a lot of poverty despite the best efforts of that church member. In fact, even if he/she gets the government aid they wish, it will likely go into the corrupt hands of some dictator in some impoverished country. Sorry I'm so negative...just think I'm being honest.
No need to apologize for your negativity...I completely agree with you. I'm glad to have some validation for my reaction to this. I can't get over that so much time, effort and money would be spent pushing this "letter campaign"....just one more issue the PC(USA) gives me to gripe and complain about, unfortunately.
The term "social justice" should always stay in quotes.
Consider the following:
"I know that
Socialism is the inevitable stage toward which mankind is
moving, and I know that Socialism will bring social justice."
--Nikita Khruschchev, 1956
(in his speech to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party available at:
http://files.osa.ceu.hu/holdings...54-2-199.shtml)
I would like permission to post a PDF version of your post entitiled
“Social Justice” is a Misnomer: Consider “Social Mercy” Instead
dated Tuesday, May 30, 2006 on my website. The address is http://johntwo24-25.net/index.html if you would like to look the site over. It is on Catholic Social Doctrine and Alinskyian Community Organizing. You may reach me at feedback@johntwo24-25.net. Thanks, Ricky Joyce
Yes, Ricky, you may use the article as a pdf. Best of luck in your current struggle.
Relieveddebtor
I just read this at the OKC effort to fight the intrusion of IAF into our Catholic churches. Thank you so very much for this article. It is what was in my heart and mind, but I couldn't find the right words.
Yours Truly,
Valerie Rhodes
May I post this to Facebook?
Thank You
Valerie Rhodes
valerierho@aol.com
Yes, Valerie you can post this article on your facebook if you wish.
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